About
AMERICAN REEF COALITION
Established in Hawaii in 2002 to protect what we love. We originally focused programs aligned with the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, National Action Strategy, to protect and conserve coral reefs and ocean resources. We soon focused our attention to a state program involving environmental moorings. For over 10 years we protected over 100 acres of some of the most pristine and most threatened coral reef around 3 Hawaiian islands with this program. Our Aquatic Debris Eradication Program which we started in 2002 is our longest running program. For over 20 years we averaged over 3,000 pounds of trash removed from the beaches and waters of Hawaii annually. Other ocean programs were in coral propagation, artificial reefs, reef surveys, and education. Taking the fins off a dozen times a year and venturing onto land, in 2014 we became founding members of the Haleakala National Park Trail Guardians program. Again, protecting something we love. Educating visitors to the National Park which contains the most fragile and endangered species of any National Park in the Country. We also performed trail maintenance and invasive species removal in the Haleakala Wilderness and other sensitive environments prone to overuse. In 2021 we created programs in Colorado and the southwest where we are currently engaged in aquatic debris removal, trail and public recreation area maintenance and wildfire mitigation in the wildland-urban interface. In 2023 we expanded to include Florida and California for protection & conservation programs. In 2026 we expanded outside the boundaries of the U.S. to include the Bahamas.
Our Mission:
Protection and conservation of aquatic, natural and wilderness areas through a variety of proven methods and maintaining public access to these areas for conservation, public enjoyment and education.
Put simply, conservation seeks the proper use of nature, while preservation seeks protection of nature from use.
Example program for the "protection" of nature would be our Aquatic Debris Eradication Program. This is our longest running program which protects nature from use. We've adapted the program to include recreation area and trail cleanups.
Example program for the "conservation" of nature would be our Trail Maintenance Program. Maintaining trails for the proper use of nature. This program also protects nature from use by discouraging social trails. A "social trail" is defined as an informal, non-designated trail between two locations. Social trails often result in trampling stresses to sensitive vegetation types and necessitate the closing of designated trails to allow time for the social trails to regenerate. Our busiest time of year for this program in Colorado is spring time. Heavy snowfall can bring down trees, branches and boulders which often land on designated trails. Multi-use trails (hiking and OHV) see the most damage from social trails when a natural occurrence closes a trail. By maintaining designated trails, we remove the need for people to go off trail, which reduces the creation of social trails and keeps designated trails open to the public.
AMERICAN REEF COALITION
Established in Hawaii in 2002 to protect what we love. We originally focused programs aligned with the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, National Action Strategy, to protect and conserve coral reefs and ocean resources. We soon focused our attention to a state program involving environmental moorings. For over 10 years we protected over 100 acres of some of the most pristine and most threatened coral reef around 3 Hawaiian islands with this program. Our Aquatic Debris Eradication Program which we started in 2002 is our longest running program. For over 20 years we averaged over 3,000 pounds of trash removed from the beaches and waters of Hawaii annually. Other ocean programs were in coral propagation, artificial reefs, reef surveys, and education. Taking the fins off a dozen times a year and venturing onto land, in 2014 we became founding members of the Haleakala National Park Trail Guardians program. Again, protecting something we love. Educating visitors to the National Park which contains the most fragile and endangered species of any National Park in the Country. We also performed trail maintenance and invasive species removal in the Haleakala Wilderness and other sensitive environments prone to overuse. In 2021 we created programs in Colorado and the southwest where we are currently engaged in aquatic debris removal, trail and public recreation area maintenance and wildfire mitigation in the wildland-urban interface. In 2023 we expanded to include Florida and California for protection & conservation programs. In 2026 we expanded outside the boundaries of the U.S. to include the Bahamas.
Our Mission:
Protection and conservation of aquatic, natural and wilderness areas through a variety of proven methods and maintaining public access to these areas for conservation, public enjoyment and education.
Put simply, conservation seeks the proper use of nature, while preservation seeks protection of nature from use.
Example program for the "protection" of nature would be our Aquatic Debris Eradication Program. This is our longest running program which protects nature from use. We've adapted the program to include recreation area and trail cleanups.
Example program for the "conservation" of nature would be our Trail Maintenance Program. Maintaining trails for the proper use of nature. This program also protects nature from use by discouraging social trails. A "social trail" is defined as an informal, non-designated trail between two locations. Social trails often result in trampling stresses to sensitive vegetation types and necessitate the closing of designated trails to allow time for the social trails to regenerate. Our busiest time of year for this program in Colorado is spring time. Heavy snowfall can bring down trees, branches and boulders which often land on designated trails. Multi-use trails (hiking and OHV) see the most damage from social trails when a natural occurrence closes a trail. By maintaining designated trails, we remove the need for people to go off trail, which reduces the creation of social trails and keeps designated trails open to the public.
